Apparatus for agitating slurry, etc.



March 29, 1927. 1,622,280

J. 5. FASTING APPARATUS FOR AGITATING SLURRY, ETC

Filed Sept. 5, 1924 s Sheets-Sheetl J. S. FASTING APPARATUS FORAGITATING SLURRY, ETC

March 29 1927.

Filed Sept. 5, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Elvweutoz w 4 IAMW ch 927 J. 5.FASTING APPARATUS FOR AGITATIQG SLU RRY, ETC

5 Sheets-She'et 5 Filed Sept. 5, 1924 Patented Mar. 29, 1927.

UhlETED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHAN S. FASTING. 6F VALBY, NEAR COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, ASSIGNOR TO F. L.

SMIDTEI & 00., OF NEW YORK, IQ". Y.

, A CORPGEATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AFPABATUS FOR AGITATIING SL'URRY, ETC.-

Application filed September 5, 1924.

This invention has for its object to provide improved means for theagitation of mixtures of more or less finely divided particles of solidmatter with a liquid in 5 which the particles of solid matter aresuspended in the liquid and may precipitate unless the entire mass issuitably agitated, The invention has been developed with particularreference to the agitation of Portland cement slurry in which. in thewet process of Portland cement making, the finely divided particles ofcement raw material are suspended in water. Various means for agitatingslurry and other like n'lixtures have been devised hitherto. consistingordinarily of mechanical agitators rotating on vertical axes within thet. 1lS in which the slurry is stored. Air under pressure is alsoemployed in conjunction with mechanical agitating devices. If theagitation of slurry ceases for a time, as by reason of the loss of poweror of breaking down of the mechanism. or for any other reason. theparticles of solid matter separate from the water'and settle quickly tothe bottom of the tank where the solid matter becomes so compact aboutthe lower part of the agitating devices that it is difficult to set therotary agitating devices in operation again, it being necessarysometimes to remove the entire contents of the tank in order to free theagitating device. It is the particular object of this invention toprovide agitating means of such a character that the operation thereofcan be resumed even after the agitation of the mass has beendiscontinued for some time. without danger of breaking the mechanism andwithout requiring the contents of the tank to be removed. In accordancewith the in vention there are suspended within the tank agitatingdevices which have, at least mainly. movement in a vertical direction,whereby, through the action of suitable operating devices, they can bemoved through the precipitated solid matter and so resume the agitationof the mass without endangering the mechanism. Preferablv theseagitating devices are formed as endless loops, preferably of chain,suspended within the storage tank from wheels driven in any convenientmanner. so that the loops are caused to travel through the compactedmass and eventually to bring about a uniform remiXture of the entiremass in the tank. in coniunct-ion with mechanical agitators of thischaracter Serial No. 736,010.

a single set of such agitating devices supported from a carrier which ismoved above the tank so that the agitating devices are caused to have,in addition to the movement above referred to, a bodily movementthroughout the mass of slurryv or other like material in the tank. Theinvention will be explained more fully hereinafter with reference to theaccompanying drawings in which it is illustrated in several practicalembodiments and in which- Figure 1 is a view in transverse section,through a tank with one form of the improved agitating devices supportedfrom the carrier mounted movably above the tank.

Figure 2 is a view of the same partly in section and partly in elevationas seen from the point of view at right angles to that of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a diagrammatic representation of the wiring for the electricmotor shown in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a top view of the devices shown in Figures 1 and '2, withthe floor of the carrier partly broken away.

Figures 5 and 6 are views partly in section and partly in elevation asseen from points of view at right angles showing a similar form ofmechanical agitating device with means for supplying air under pressure.

Figures 7 and 8 are respectively a vertical sectional elevation and atop view illustrating the application of the agitating devices to acircular tank. i

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 1-4, the tankin which is stored the slurry or other semi-liquid material to beagitated, is a rectangular tank having side walls a and a bottom a withend walls not shown, On longitudinal rails a which may be supported onthe side walls a, is mounted for movement to and fro a carrier Z) fromwhich are suspended within the tank the agitating devices to bedescribed. The carrier is supported on the rails a by flanged wheels 0on shafts 0', suitably mounted in bearings on the carrier and driven,through sprocket wheels 0 from a driving shaft 0 The shaft 0 is mountedin hearings on the carrier 6 and may be driven, through a gear 0 andpinion c and a reduction gearing 0 from an electric motor 0 supported onthe carrier and receiving current in any convenient manner. To ellereversal of the motor as the carrier leaves the end of the tank at eachmovement, there may be provided, as shown diagrammatically in Figure 3,limit switches 0 operated by stops 0 at the ends of the tank, and relayswitches 0 the arrangement oi such motor reversing devices being wellunderstood and re uiring no detailed explanation herein.

1- lso supported in hearings on the car T) is a shaft d, which may bedriven the shaft 0 through suitable gearing (1' in has secured theretoat suitable llllQTTfil'rl, sprocket wheels From each of the sprocketwheels is siiaspended an endless loop 6, preferably a chain, which dropswithin the tank to the bottom thereot', shown in Figure 2, and, by therotation of the shaft 03, is made to move, in the direction of thechain, through the mass in 1' 1e ank. At the same time, through themovement of the carrier, all of the chains are made to move through thematerial in the tank in the direction of the length ot' the tank, to andfro. The material in the tank is thus agitated constantly under normalconditions and it will be seen that it the itapulled through suchmaterial and tion resumed without danger of breakage or any part of themechanism.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 thechain loops e are suspended as betore t'roin sprocket,

wheels d on a shaft (1 which is supported in bearings on the carrier Z).In alternation with the chain loops 6 there are pivotally supported fromthe carrier 7) air pipe which terminate in open nozzles near the bottomof the tank and are provided with weights 7" which tend normally tomaintain the pipes in a vertical position, shown by full lines in Figure5. The several pipes .7 are supplied with air under pressure from anysuitable source through an air hose f and an air line 7. As the carriermoves to and fro the weighted air pipes will be drawn from the'verticalposition to or toward an inclined position shown by broken lines inFigure 5 and the air supplied will thus be distributed throughout themass of the material in the tank, the back pressure of the air tendingto aid the carriage in its movement along the tank.

As shown in Figures 7 and 8 the invention may be applied also to acircular tank. its shown in these figures a circular tank a having acircular post a, supports on the outer wall a circular rail a A shaft(1, having; secured thereto sprocket wheels CZ which carry chain loops 6as betore, is supported at its outer end upon the track by a tractionwheel (2. At its inner end the shaft is supported in a bearing can riedby a sleeve a which is supported by a stud (5" carried by a base (5 onthe top ot the post a Rotatably supported on the stud (Z is a bevel f wiichengag'es a bevel gear a? on the shaft (Z The bevel gear f is securedto-a second bevel 7 which is engaged by a bevel pinion j" on the driveshaft f The latter is supported at one end in a suitable caring which iscarried by the stud d", and near its outer end by a bearing The shattmay be rotated by a pulley 1". it will be seen that as the shaft d is.rotated on its own axis to the gears 6Z9, 7, f and the traction wheel (5will be caused thereby to swing about the stud f. The chain loops arethereby caused to have movement in the direction of their length andalso to have the bodily movement in a horizontal direction through thematerial in the tank, whereby such material is agitated;

Various other modified embodiments of the invention will suggestthemselves and it will be understood that the invention, except. aspointed out in the claim, is not limited to the particular constructionshown. and described herein.

I claim as my invention:

In combination with a tank to receive slurry, a carrier supported on thewall of the tank and having a shaft with a series of sprocket wheels,chain loops suspended from the sprocket whe within the tank, means torotate the shaft and sprocket wheels, means to cause the carrier to movebodily above the tank, weighted air pipes-pivotally supported from thecarrier. and means to su 'iply air and pressure to the air pipes.

This specification signed this 21st day of August, A. D. 192%;

JOHAN S. FASTING.

